It is said that one of the reasons Toki Jonin went to so much trouble traveling all over Japan to collect Nichiren Shonin’s writings and letters was not only to […]
Buddhism Q&A - Japanese Buddhism
Buddhism Q&A: Shukubo and Omiage
Japanese pilgrimages are never about just visiting a temple or shrine. It a total experience that mixes religious duty with fun, good food and life on the road with fellow […]
Culture Wars - Japanese Buddhism
Kuyo: the importance of remembering and forgetting
The Japanese Kanji and meaning for Kuyo (供養), apparently has no real direct equivalent in Chinese; I occasionally run across online questions from mainland Chinese exchange students in Japan asking […]
Japanese Buddhism
Remembering Ryusho
Rev. Ryusho Jeffus and I were thrown together for a few months in a furious march through the Nichiren Shu priest education system, from the written exam, to Sodo Rin […]
Cool Japan - Japanese Buddhism
Tanabata and Obon
Many festivals are canceled this year because of COVID but you can still go to a local shrine or temple and tie your Tanabata wish to the bamboo. It’s always […]
Culture Wars - Japanese Buddhism
Climbing Shichimensan 2020
My nephew passed away in January at the age of 36 from a diabetic coma. Ten years ago he came to Japan with his dad (my older brother), on a […]